The present invention relates to a mounting housing for electrical and/or optical conductors, fluid lines, and mechanical components, such as e.g. articulated shafts or Bowden cables. The invention relates in particular to an angled mounting housing which, in the pre-assembled condition, can be attached at a corresponding mounting surface, with a cover which can easily be locked with the body of the mounting housing being used for the access to the feed-through of same.
In order to attach for example connectors for electrical and/or optical conductors at a casing of a switchgear cabinet, so-called mounting housings are used. The mounting housings are attached at an external surface of the switchgear cabinet casing and comprise a feed-through which is communicating with the interior of the switchgear cabinet. The feed-through serves to guide electrical and/or optical conductors from the switchgear cabinet to a connector which is installed at the mounting housing. Mounting housings are required in particular if connectors for switchgear cabinets are to be provided which are not to be arranged perpendicular to a respective surface of the switchgear cabinet. In these cases, angled e.g. angled by 90xc2x0, and curved mounting housings are used.
For pre-assembly of the mounting housings, these can comprise access opening to the feed-throughs, which can be closed by means of covers. Usually, such covers are screwed to the body of a mounting housing in order to tightly seal the access opening, partly under using suitable sealing elements. It is also known to secure such covers at the body of the mounting housing by means of suitable locking or snap-action connections.
From DE 34 03 774 A1 an angular line lead-in with a closing part which is pivotably linked in the area of a face at the outer edge is known. In order to maintain the closing part in its locked position, a snap is provided at its other face. This snap is constituted by a projection formed at an angle leg of the line lead-in and a groove formed in the closing part, with which the projection engages upon closing the closing part.
This approach impedes the removal of the cover if, for example, an access is required to the feed-through of the, mounting housing for maintenance work. In this case, the removal of a cover is generally not possible without special tools. When using screwed covers additional tools are already required for closing the access opening.
In addition, it is generally not possible to attach a mounting housing e.g. to a switchgear cabinet before the mounting housing has been pre-assembled with corresponding electrical and/or optical conductors and/or connectors.
Similar problems result if mounting housings are used for (flexible) fluid lines, mechanical components such as e.g. articulated shafts or Bowden cables and the like, for guiding same (in an angled fashion) out of the housing of a corresponding device. From DE 297 07 529 U1 a cable feed-through is known which can be attached at a cable and at a housing which accommodates the wires of the cable in its inner space. For securing the cable feed-through at the housing, one end of the cable feed-through comprises a flange with holes formed therein.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a mounting housing for the mentioned components to be guided by means of a mounting housing, which can readily be pre-assembled, permits a convenient access to the inner space of the mounting housing at any time, and which enables a tight sealing of the access opening to the inner space of the mounting housing, or its clearing, respectively, without special tools. Moreover, the invention is to provide a mounting housing which in the pre-assembled condition can be attached at a corresponding mounting surface.
For this purpose, the invention provides a mounting housing for electrical and/or optical conductors, fluid lines, mechanical components such as e.g. articulated shafts or Bowden cables, and the like. The inventive mounting housing comprises a housing body, a feed-through extending through the housing body, an access opening to the feed-through through the housing body, a cover movably connected with the housing body for closing and clearing the access opening, and a retaining means for securing the cover in its closed condition at the housing by means of a clamping connection.
The cover comprises in particular an extended area which in the closed condition of the cover is secured (clamped) between the retaining means and the housing body.
In order to improve the secureness of the cover the housing body comprises a contact area for the extended area of the cover, with these areas being preferably formed in a positive manner. This positive fit between the extended area and the contact area improves the clamping effect of the retaining means in the secured condition of the cover.
In addition, the extended area of the cover may comprise a, contoured area which, for example, may be provided with recesses (longitudinal grooves, transverse grooves) formed in the cover. If the extended area is elastically deformable at least in the contoured area, the extended area additionally serves as a vibration protection for the cover.
In order to tightly seal the access opening in the closed condition of the cover a sealing element (e.g. an O-ring) is, arranged in the area of the access opening. If the sealing element is elastic so that it is elastically deformable with the cover in the closed and secured condition due to an active connection with same, the forces which are thereby generated and act on the cover contribute to the secureness of the cover.
As the retaining means a retaining nut or a sleeve which can be slid onto the housing body can be used. In the case of using a retaining nut, the housing body comprises a thread for fastening same. In this case, it is provided that the thread for the retaining nut is spaced in the longitudinal direction of the feed-through from the contact area or that in encompasses the contact area.
In the case of a slide-on retaining sleeve, this is to be secured on the housing body so that it will not be moved e.g. due to the elastic forces generated by the sealing element in the area of the access opening and/or the extended area of the cover. For this purpose, locking elements and/or clamping elements may be formed at the housing body. Examples for the locking elements are structures or components which are suitable for the manufacture of engaging or snap-action connections or components for bayonet joints. As clamping elements, for example wedge-shaped structures formed at the housing body can be used.
In order to secure the retaining sleeve in a removable manner at the housing body, the locking elements and/or the clamping elements can be correspondingly movable and/or elastically deformable. Here, it is also possible to use an elastically deformable retaining sleeve which for releasing its secure position at the housing body is elastically deformed.
In order to be able to attach the mounting housing at a corresponding mounting surface also in the pre-assembled condition, the housing body comprises a mounting flange at a first end, with holes formed through it. In particular, the holes of the mounting flange are arranged in such a manner that they can be accessed also in the closed condition of the cover in order to insert e.g. fastening screws.
Alternatively or additionally, the housing body may comprise locking or snap-action elements at its first end, which in the closed condition of the cover, can be actuated for installation and removal of the mounting housing.
In an embodiment, the cover is movably hooked in the housing body by means of structures (e.g. projections forming a hinge) formed at the cover and the housing body, preferably at its first end. This construction permits a simple manufacture of the mounting housing, with the additional possibility, for example for pre-assembling the mounting housing, to remove the cover from the housing body (unhook it). This movable connection can also be made by means of shafts and/or pins which are in active connection with the cover and the housing body whereby, on the one hand, a removal of cover becomes more difficult but, on the other hand, the stability of its connection with the housing body is improved.
In addition, the housing body may comprise fastening elements at a second end opposite the first end for fastening devices to be arranged at the mounting housing. Examples for such devices are connectors for electrical and/or optical conductors, connections for fluid lines and the like. Depending on the devices to be arranged, these fastening elements of the housing body may be threads, snap-action and/or locking elements, or structures for bayonet joints formed thereon.
For securing the retaining means the mounting housing comprises components which prevent a removal of the retaining means. Preferably, these securing components for the retaining means comprise a groove formed in the housing body and an O-ring which can be installed at the housing body in an active connection with the groove. The O-ring is dimensioned in such a manner that the retaining means cannot be removed from the housing body. In addition, such an O-ring also serves as a sealing element and vibration protection for any of the previously mentioned devices which can be arranged at the housing body.
Preferably, the housing body is a curved or angled (e.g. by 90xc2x0) body, with the possibility of also using an oblong housing body, if an access is to be made to its feed-through in the area of the connection with the respective mounting surface.
It is provided that the feed-through through the housing body has an essentially round or rectangular cross-section, with the housing body, in particular in the case of using a retaining nut, having a round cross-section at least in the area of the thread in the longitudinal direction of the feed-through.